Ellie's Series
by marypussycat79
Summary: Sequel to Birth. Holmes and Watson have a daugther. Each chapter is a separate story, a picture of everyday life with Ellie.
1. Chapter 1

**Ellie's Series (sequel to Birth)**

**Holmes and Watson have a daughter, Ellie. Each chapter is a single picture of every day life with little Ellie, each one is a separate story.**

At the end of May, London was experiencing an extraordinary hot climate and those few rich people who could leave had already departed for their country house to find some comfort. We were not so lucky. To be more precise, Mycroft had offered me and Holmes and little Ellie to spent some days in his own countryside home, but we had to refuse the offer because we both were very busy. He would had taken Ellie with him alone but when we asked her if she wanted to, once she understood me and Holmes would not had come with her, she started crying and no one could make her change her mind. So now I was spending most of the nights awake, because sleeping was impossible: not because of the weather, in fact nights were nice, but because Ellie had developed the habit of sleeping with me; actually, that was not a problem: in fact I was proud that she had chosen me instead of Holmes to sleep with. I think she did because, between the two of us, I was the one with a more regular schedule, while Holmes sometimes went away in the middle of the night leaving her alone; that times, he had to carry her to my room with the risk of waking her and if she did, I had to calm her for quite some time before we could finally go back to sleep. Me and Holmes discussed about it and decided to talk to her and to let her choose; it took a while, because, of course, she wanted both of us with her, but at the end she said she would had slept with me but added that _she loved her daddy_ (Holmes) _soooo much, so please he did not have to feel sad_.

Despite the nature of our relationship, sleeping together had never been a necessity for me and Holmes. We knew each other so well that we understood that sleeping or not sleeping in the same bed would not make any difference, because our bond was solid and, plus, it was blessed by our little Miracle, Ellie, so we maintained our privacy and our old rooms. It was more convenient also, because that way, if one of us had to leave earlier, he would not had disturbed the other.

At that time, Ellie was only three years old and nothing but sweet and joyful, a little cute bundle with curly blond hair and blue eyes that I would love to hold and caress all day if I could; at night she used to cling to me like I was his giant teddy bear to hold on to and generally I found that very comforting. You can imagine what it means, after a long day in a city where people were hurrying all day, too busy with their own business to even notice the variety of different features of nature in the ocean of humanity they were swimming in, to come home and find the most beautiful girl in the world waiting for you, watching you with bright eyes, begging for you to hold her; to hear her laughing; to watch her little face becoming so serious when she pretends to understand what you're saying; to feel her little arms around your shoulder when you hug her, her only desire to be close to you because she had missed you all day. I miss her too, everyday. I enjoyed these everyday moments with my daughter with all my heart. Of course, she had another daddy and she loved him very much, as much as she loved me, but when she wanted something that she should not have normally, she came to me, not to Holmes, because she knew I had a soft spot for her and when she looked at me in a certain way, I could not deny anything to her. Of course, I did not let her do everything she wanted, that's why when I did not agree with her desires she always returned to Holmes to cry in his arms.

That evening I came home and she was with her father, sat on the chair in front of him, pretending to read a scientific book about Bugs' Life, only she was holding it on reverse. Holmes was busy too, pretending to read some articles on the newspaper, but clearly watching his child making funny faces trying to imitate him; when I entered the room, Ellie dropped the book to the floor and run towards me, I barely had time to put down my bag and catch her in my arms. I kissed her and she kissed me in return, almost purring, then put her little hands on my face, making a distressed face. I was actually hot because of the weather and the atmosphere in our apartment was suffocating. Still holding Ellie, I went to the window and opened it. Then I put her down on the couch and checked her to see if she was alright, I actually made sure she did not have a temperature using the non-scientific old method of putting my big hand on her forehead, finding her fresh and so soft. But my worry had someway annoyed my little girl, who patted my hands away and run to Holmes.

"Stop, daddy, stop. I am fine!" she said, echoed by Holmes, who gave me a warning glance. Defeated, I pretended to be offended and displayed my best "sad and hurting expression" to them, then went to sit on the armchair near the window. Not looking at them, I heard Ellie asking Holmes, in a small scared voice, if it was her fault if I was sad and the man suggesting her to come to me and try to give me a big hug and a kiss to help me. In a second I found myself in the arms of my little girl, who never left my side for the rest of the evening. Holmes accused me of playing dirty and he was right, actually.

"Sorry, Holmes, I could not resist. You should have seen your faces, though, for a second you two had the same annoyed expression. I hope she doesn't have your character when she grown up!"

"That doesn't change the fact that you play dirty, John. Shame on you!" he replied, his words rude but his tone light and quizzical.

Ellie, who was watching us but could not understand the subject of our conversation, laughed and dared us to catch her, if we could. We played hide and seek for some times and the apartment resounded of her joyful shrieks and laughs; finally Holmes announced it was time to go to bed. Disappointed but clearly exhausted, Ellie complied. Holmes carried her to my room where he helped her to wear her night dress and insisted for him to stay in the room until she was asleep.

Holmes joined me in our sitting room after a while; I spent the rest of the evening reading a novel.

Entering my room, later that night, I found the little creature sprawled in the centre of the bed, making small sounds in her sleep. I carefully laid down beside her and, as if she had sensed my proximity, she immediately came closer to me. "You little monster, why don't you let me sleep alone, tonight?" I teased her. She opened his eyes to look at me briefly, displayed a huge smile and hug me before succumbing to sleep again. I managed to sleep three hours with Ellie securely anchored on my back and when I could not stand it any longer, I got up enjoying the cold air of the night and watching my little treasure dreaming, letting her soft regular breath lulling me to a very early morning doze on the not-so-comfortable armchair of my bedroom. If my back was a little sore in the morning, she was surely worth it.

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	2. Chapter 2

**Ellie and the bees **(around four years old)

When the weather was clement, we used to take Ellie to the park on Sundays. After a while it became a habit she enjoyed very much.

During the week she stayed with our landlady most of the day so both me and Holmes were very happy when we could spend an entire day with our daughter and we tried our best to please her with her desires. She was a clever and curious child, so we always encouraged her to make new experiences so to learn more and more about the world she lived in. Holmes actually took her to see a scientific museum once: he was afraid it would had been boring for her but, despite his previsions, they spent the entire afternoon there; she was, he told me later, full of questions and he had a hard time explaining her things she clearly could not fully understand (because of his very young age). I did not go with them because I was not feeling well. When they finally came home, enthusiastic about the museum, she spent all the evening telling me how many strange things she saw and explaining me what they were used for and how they worked. When she finally fell asleep, we could not help but feel very proud of our creature who was showing at this early age signs of a brilliant mind. But I am wandering again. Let me return on the subject of this page.

That Sunday, it was June, I awoke and Ellie was already up, waiting for me to get up and help her to get dressed: in fact there were a few of her favorite dresses on the armchair and she was looking at them very seriously, her arms crossed on her chest and his expression of extreme concentration. When she noticed I was awake, her expression changed and she greeted me climbing on the bed to sit near me, kissing me with a huge smile. I kissed her back and held her for some time, drinking her scent. She eventually untied from me and coaxed me to get up.

"Good morning, sleepy head! Did you have a good night sleep?" I asked her.

"Hi, daddy! I had a good night and you? Do you know how the weather like today is? Can we go to the park? Can I take Gladstone this time? I like him very much, can we take him, please?" she replied in a blur, clearly excited.

I guess my brain was still kind of disconnected and I wasn't prepared for all her questions, at least not so early in the morning, so I did not reply immediately. I absently played with her soft curls, causing her to sigh in exasperation. She remained silent for some minutes, observing me very closely with her curious eyes, and finally asked me about the dog again.

"Of course we can, honey! Let me get up and see what's the weather like".

I opened the window of our bedroom and found out we were blessed with a warm and sunny day. Ellie was very happy and urged me to get dressed, she was too excited to wait a second more.

"Aren't you forgetting anything, Ellie?"

She stopped her research of the most suitable dress for the day and looked at me with a half annoyed, half interrogative expression, but not talking.

"Breakfast!" I reminded.

"Oh! That! Can't we skip it today, dad?" the little creature replied in light tone, displaying her best puppy expression.

"No, dear. Don't look at me like that. You know breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Come on, let's go downstairs. We will get dressed later."

Not fully convinced, she agreed. I easily caught her before she exited the room and held her securely with my right arm on my shoulder. That made her laugh. I teased her all the way to the sitting room and her joyful shrieks filled the room.

"I am so hungry, maybe I could eat your little feet first!" I mimicked the gesture sniffing and licking her bare feet.

_Laugh_

"Nooo! Not the feet!"

"Alright, then I could eat your little hands!"

_Laugh_

"Not my hands, please!"

"So, what about your ears? I like very much children's ears for breakfast!"

_Laugh_

"Nooo, not my ears! Put me down, daddy, please!"

Mrs. Hudson entered the room with a large tray (our breakfast) in that moment. She smiled warmly to us and put the tray down on the table. I helped Ellie to sit on the chair in front of me. Holmes wasn't in the room.

"Good morning Mrs. Hudson. Do you know where Holmes is?"

"Good morning doctor, Ellie! Did you sleep well , darling? I'm sorry, I did not see Mr. Holmes this morning but I don't think he is out. Oh, here he is! Good Morning! If you don't need me anymore, I am leaving in half an hour." As silently as she entered the room, she left us by ourselves.

"Who's been eating my daughter? Ellie, are you sure you are still in one piece? Let me check on you! You still have your feet" said my friend teasing her daughter, tickling her and making her laugh, "and your hands and… oh, you've got only one ear left!" he added in a surprised tone.

Ellie immediately put her hands on her ears, to verify Holmes' words, and smiled cheerfully to her daddy when she understood he was lying.

"No, I've got all my ears, dad!"

"Oh, you're right, I didn't saw your left one because it was hidden by your hair. Can I join you?"

"Of course you can! Dad says breakfast is the most important meal in a day so we are going to have a good breakfast before going out with Gladstone!" she announced proudly.

Holmes glanced at his princess and then at me with a grin on his face.

"Dad knows a lot of things! He is a smart man!"

We kept talking quietly for a while but as soon as the tray was empty, Ellie bolted out of the chair, declaring she wanted to go to the park and we had to hurry. I helped her to put on her white-blue dress, got dressed myself and then we all four (me, Holmes, Ellie and the dog) started our walk to the park.

Ellie insisted on holding Gladstone's leash by herself, walking neatly on the sidewalk ahead of us, but once we arrived to our destination, she gave it to me and started running and jumping here and there, while the dog seemed unaware of his surroundings, because he stood quietly beside me. Holmes went after the child and I walked with the dog on the path until I found a bench where I sat, enjoying the sunny day and the warm atmosphere of the place. Gladstone had no intention to move, so I took out my book and started reading, occasionally glancing in the direction on Holmes and Ellie, reassured by their quiet chattering. More than once Ellie came to me to show me a flower she found, or simply to kiss me before returning to her play.

I was really enjoying my free time with my family when my daughter suddenly let out a cry, followed by a copiously weeping and Holmes shouted my name. I tied Gladstone's leash to the bench and run towards them, to find Ellie holding her right arm with his other one, crying desperately.

"She was bitten by a bee" Holmes explained.

I knelt beside her and she came a little closer.

"Oh, Ellie, I'm sorry. Show me where the bee stung you. Where do you hurt, honey?"

Too scared to comply, she could not stop crying and I held her in my arms, rocking her back and forth, like when she was very little, hushing her until she was calmer. Meanwhile, we had reached the bench, where I sat with the child on my knees.

"Ellie, will you let dad have a look at your arm, please?" Holmes asked her softly, caressing her.

She nodded and hold out her right arm to me. There was a red swollen spot where the bee stung her. I did not doubt she was hurting because I had been stung myself some time ago and it was not pleasant. I carefully inspected the area, Ellie whimpered a little when I touched her but was very brave. Luckily, there was no trace of the sting. However, I did not have my medical bag with me so I could not treat Ellie's wound. Holmes was watching anxiously me and the child, his face a mixture of guilt and worry.

"Holmes, I need you to wet your handkerchief with cool water, there should be a fountain near the next bench on your right on this path. I can't treat Ellie here, so I will dress her arm with your handkerchief, I think the cold should help until we get home."

He nodded and returned almost immediately. Ellie had been silent since we reached the bench but the swollen on her arm was growing and it surely would hurt. We had to come back home quickly.

"Ellie, I know you're hurting. We are going home now, where I can cure you. Now daddy is going to dress your arm with a cool cloth. I promise it doesn't hurt so don't be afraid, alright?"

While I carefully tighten the cloth on the wound, Holmes quietly spoke to her , distracting her from the practice. Despite she had stopped crying, I had to carry her all the way home (walking by herself was not an option and she clung to me securely, not even Holmes could make her change her mind) and I am a little ashamed to admit that at the end I was exhausted. Holmes took care of Gladstone, who was now resting with his head on Ellie's knees, whining at her sad expression. I untied the cloth and cleaned the wound, then I applied a herbal lotion (courtesy of a colleague) on the red area and massaged it.

"All done, see? This lotion is made of herbs and it helps to reduce the swelling and it is a mild anesthetic, so you won't feel pain. Do you want me to dress your arm again?" I asked softly to the small trembling creature who was watching me with wide eyes from the couch, nodding her head.

Once I had finished my work, I reassured her once again that she was alright and between me, Holmes and Gladstone we finally succeeded in making her smile again.

"Next time, Ellie, be careful with the bees and remember not to disturb them, unless you want they sting you again." Holmes explained her quietly, holding her close; she nodded solemnly, without looking at him.

"It was not my fault!" she whined.

"Of course not, dear, but sometimes the bees sting because they feel threatened. It's a defensive mechanism."

"But I would never hurt the bee. I only wanted to pick up the flower."

"Well, the bee didn't know and you were collecting the flower it was extracting the pollen from. That's why it attacked you."

She remained silent for some minutes, as if she was elaborating a complex sentence. She then lifted her gaze on Holmes and started to bombard him with questions.

"How much does a bee lives, dad?"

"Where does it live?"

When he understood she would not have let the matter drop (at least for the day), he took a big book from the library whose title was "Bee Life" and we spent the afternoon watching the pictures and answering the millions question our little princess had in her mind.

That evening, when I put her to bed, she asked me if we could take a beehive at home.

"I don't think it's a good idea, Ellie! Bees need to be free to fly around, not to be closed in an apartment!"

Satisfied by my answer, she gave a small yawn.

"Good night, honey. Sleep well!"

"Night, daddy. I promise I won't disturb the bees anymore." She said, before closing her eyes and falling asleep.

That's how my little treasure learned another important lesson in her life.

**IF YOU LIKE THIS STORY, IF YOU DON'T OR IF YOU WANT TO SUGGEST ME SOMETHING... THEN REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT IT!**

**THANK YOU!**


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